The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of the 921 Earthquake, saying the US is proud to partner with Taiwan to help tackle global challenges.
“Today, on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/21 earthquake, we continue to mourn the 2,415 lives lost in this devastating incident,” the AIT wrote on Facebook, referring to the magnitude 7.3 quake in 1999 with an epicenter in Nantou County’s Jiji Township (集集).
“Taiwan has worked hard to develop its ability to respond to various kinds of emergencies and has become a leader of disaster preparedness in the region, sharing its expertise with the international community,” it said. “The United States is proud to partner with Taiwan to help tackle global challenges.”
As this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival also falls on National Disaster Prevention Day, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Facebook yesterday called on the public to be prepared for potential danger even in peaceful times.
National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21 was instituted in 2000 to commemorate the 921 Earthquake and remind people of the importance of disaster awareness.
Tsai shared photographs showing her visiting the National Fire Agency Training Center in Nantou’s Jhushan Township (竹山) on Friday last week to inspect the drills of firefighters and the training of search-and-rescue dogs.
Over the past 22 years, the nation has been remembering the lessons taught by the 921 Earthquake, while continuing to strengthen infrastructure and utilize technological tools to boost society’s resilience against disasters, Tsai wrote.
While marking the 10th anniversary of Japan’s Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March, the AIT, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, the British Office Taipei and government agencies jointly launched a series of activities under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
The activities, entitled “Partners in HADR [humanitarian assistance and disaster relief]: Awareness — Resilience — Action,” began on March 10 and were scheduled to end on the 22nd anniversary of the 921 Earthquake, a joint statement by the AIT and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time.
The activities would expand already robust cooperation on HADR, and raise public and international awareness about Taiwan’s outsized role in those efforts, the statement said.
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